There were 18 Part I felony crimes reported in Cerritos this past reporting period, a notable decline from the 27 reported the previous week. The following is a breakdown of crimes by category: seven residential burglaries; five grand thefts; five vehicle burglaries; and one auto theft. Deputies made four felony arrests, two misdemeanor arrests, and issued 91 traffic citations. The Sheriff’s dispatch center also received a total of 174 calls for service, a considerable decrease from the previous week and somewhat fewer than the 2015 weekly average of about 205 calls.

Residential Burglary:

17400 block Caliente Ave (1/9-10): Victim heard noises outside of his bedroom while he was sleeping. When he shouted out he heard someone running from the house. He discovered later that the suspect pried open a kitchen window and stole his television from the living room. When the victim learned on 1/12 that the loss would be covered by his homeowner’s insurance if he filed a report he called the Sheriff’s Station.

18900 block De Voss Ave (1/2): Suspect pried open a rear kitchen window, ransacked the bedrooms and stole cash from a dresser drawer.

Here is some very good news on the crime fighting front as 2014 comes to an end. There was an almost 16 percent reduction in the nine categories of Part I crime tracked by the Cerritos Community Safety Division, including a nice decline in residential burglaries. As regular readers of this weekly summary know, the Cerritos Sheriff Station deputies have made reducing residential burglaries their primary crime fighting focus over the past two years. Deputies, aided by alert residents who have been willing to call when they see suspicious activity in their neighborhoods, made several good arrests of professional thieves who make their living preying on bedroom communities like Cerritos. In 2012 there were 285 reported residential burglaries in our City and this past year the total was 183, a reduction of about 36 percent in two years. Let’s keep the good news coming in 2015. Stay alert, practice simple daily safety precautions, and by all means, If You See Something, Say Something.”